At the Exemplary Father Award ceremony on Sunday 14 July, President Halimah Yacob said that employers should do more to encourage their workers to take paternity leave. We strongly agree with this statement.

All workers should be equally supported to care for their children, regardless of gender. A recent study shows that men desire flexible working arrangements, while feeling pressure to provide economically for their families (“Nearly as many men as women want flexi-work: Survey”, May 20). However, there remains stigma against men balancing work commitments with care responsibilities. It is perceived as carrying a cost to career progression, instead of being normalised as an ordinary part of working life which is compatible with all levels of advancement.

This is rooted in a cultural expectation that mothers should be primary caregivers. Even in daily language, we see fathers described as “helping” mothers, instead of parenting in their own right.

As a result, men are not taking their full allocation of leave, even where there is full income replacement. According to parliamentary data, the median days taken of government-paid paternity leave (GPPL) and shared parental leave (SPL) last year were 11 and 10 respectively. These figures exclude men who took zero days (as Madam Halimah noted, about half of all new fathers don’t take leave at all), and thus overstate the use of leave.

Law and policy can set the tone to counter stereotypes and promote changes in attitudes and practice. Unequal GPPL and maternity leave benefits reinforce the idea that women are primarily responsible for care, and men only auxiliary. We urge the government to increase paternity leave to sixteen weeks, so that it is equal to maternity leave. This will also remove the need for the transferable SPL component.

This should be coupled with close monitoring of the use of leave, and employer education. The government can encourage men in senior management to be role models, by visibly spending time on caregiving. Resources can also be provided to HR and line managers so that they truly understand the importance of paternity leave.

More parenting by fathers is good for families, society and companies. When fathers take leave to be immediately involved after birth, they are more likely to be involved later on in a child’s life as well. Research shows that fathers taking parental leave has a positive effect on maternal earnings, more so than a simple reduction in the mother’s own leave. Paternity leave also helps mothers return to the same employer, meaning that companies can retain good talent.